Wikipedia is changing its editorial policies — again. The free online encyclopedia plans to tighten the screws on articles about living people on its English-language sites.
Wikipedia is one of the most popular sites on the Web, with more than three million articles. The Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that oversees the user-generated encyclopedia, has approved a feature called flagged revisions, according to The New York Times.
Flagged revisions will reportedly mandate an experienced Wikipedia volunteer editor to review public changes made to articles about living people before they go live. A version with the changes will be invisible until an editor gives approval.
“We are no longer at the point that it is acceptable to throw things at the wall and see what sticks,” Michael Snow, a Seattle lawyer and chairman of the Wikimedia board, told the Times. “There was a time probably when the community was more forgiving of things that were inaccurate or fudged in some fashion — whether simply misunderstood or an author had some ax to grind. There is less tolerance for that sort of problem now.”
Avoiding Controversy
The policy isn’t entirely new. Wikipedia imposed flagging on its German-language version last year. And this isn’t the first time Wikimedia has changed the editorial policy, either. Wikipedia has in the past responded to several controversial issues with policy changes.
Indeed, Wikipedia biographies have drawn controversy over the years. John Seigenthaler, a former assistant to U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Google Watch protest-site creator Daniel Brandt are among high-profile persons who have lashed out at Wikipedia for inaccurate bios. In 2005, some even suggested libel suits.
Wikipedia took steps to prevent posters from claiming to be someone they are not in 2007. People who boast prestigious credentials were obliged to reveal their identities in posts. That…